Ski area thefts reported

Steamboat Springs  Even on Christmas Day, crime does not take a vacation.

Two snowboards were reported stolen at about 2:30 p.m. Monday. The owners of the equipment were inside Gnarly Charly's when the snowboards were stolen from outside the Gondola Square restaurant, said Assistant Police Chief Art Fiebing.

Currently, police continue to investigate the theft, which happens all too common once the ski season gets going, he said.

"The thing I see year after year is if you don't lock it up it will get ripped off," said Fiebing, who has been with the department for more than 20 years. "Leaving it outside a bar or unlocked on a ski rack on a car does not work. If you don't lock up your equipment, it is going to get stolen."

The theft of the snowboards is part of a rash of thefts that has occurred in the past couple of days. A pair of skis were stolen Tuesday outside an apartment at Shadow Run Condominiums. Skis were also stolen Dec. 21 from a residence on Buckskin Drive.

As the years have passed, Fiebing just shakes his head in frustration at the frequency ski equipment is stolen each ski season.

"When you factor in how expensive skis and bindings are, the equipment could be worth $1,000," he said. "If you leave skis unlocked, it is like leaving a wallet full of money on the ground.

"Until people learn that lesson things will continue to get stolen."

Fiebing urges for people who are skiing or snowboarding to take the precaution and lock up their equipment even though this is a fairly small community.

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard that 'This is Steamboat,' I would not be here," he said. "In the 23 years I have been here, they have been stealing ski equipment."

Fiebing urges skiers and snowboarders to lock up their equipment at all times during breaks, at lunch and at the end of the day.